Aeris In Wonderland
by Lamica-Lee
Summary: Was it mako? Was it the drugs Hojo experimented with? Well whatever it was, Aeris fell down the rabbit hole. Sorry, Rating's been changed to M.
1. Chapters 1 & 2

**Aeris In Wonderland**

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**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Hey everyone I hope you like my story. It's my first story here on fanfic. Let me know what you guys think. I warn you though; I don't own a computer so there might be a slight delay on updates. But not to worry, I'll try my best to provide good chapters. Also this one has 2 chapters. On that note, on with the story.

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**Chapter 1: Down the rabbit hole**

After a hectic night, they had finally left the Gold Saucer. Vincent, Yuffie, Cid, Cait Sith, Cloud, Aeris, Tifa, Barrett, and Red 13; split up into two groups. "See ya in the Temple of the Ancients," Shouted Cid to Cloud. "Hope we catch that son of a bitch Sephiroth before it's too late. Ya'll be careful, ya hear?" "Definitely," shouted Cloud back at him. "Take care!" shouted Aeris. And with that the two groups headed their separate ways.

After Walking for what seemed like forever, Cloud, Aeris, Tifa, Barrett, and Red; stop for a break. "Damn, it's hot!" stated Barrett. "I would kill for a shower right now," said Tifa fanning herself. "I know what you mean," Aeris said wiping her hair away from her face. "We have to hurry and get to the next town," Cloud said looking up at the sky. "It's going to be dark soon." "Can't we set up camp here?" Aeris asked. "It's too dangerous, the light from a fire will attract any nearby monsters," Cloud replied. "Then can we at least take a nap here before we go?" Aeris whined. "Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea," panted Red in the grass. "Fine I guess we could relax here for a bit but, we have to make it short, like I said it's going to be night soon." Cloud stated. And with that everyone sprawled out on the cool grass.

"That's it! I've had it!" exclaimed Aeris as she was furiously trying to fix her hair. "I wish I had remembered to buy a brush at the Gold Saucer." She tried to comb her hair with her fingers. "Well at least everyone else managed to fall asleep okay," she said as she looked at her traveling companions. Even the hard-shelled Barrett looked soft and friendly while he was sleeping. "I know, maybe Tifa has a brush in her pack, I'm sure she won't mind," she said as she dusted the grass off her dress. "I don't know what possesses me to have hair this long," she said as she walked over to where Tifa was sleeping. At the same time she saw something silver out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see what it was, but quickly dismissed it as nothing. She was about to reach over to grab Tifa's pack, when she saw it again. This time it bolted back and forth; like an animal.

Her curiousity got the best of her. She decided, as she picked up her staff and pack, that she would go imvestigate. She figured she wouldn't wake up her friends, simce it could probably be nothing. "Hope it isn't a monster,"she said to herself as she went further to find out what it was. Getting closer, she saw it dash a couple more times before it stopped. "It doesn't look very big," she said getting even closer.

"Aww, how cute!" she said as she finally saw what it was. It was a silver rabbit. It had apparently stopped to scratch itself. When it openened it's eyes, Aeris gasped. It had the most intense green eyes she'd ever seen. They reminded her of the intense green eyes that belonged to the one and only, General Sephiroth. The rabbit's eyes appeared to have been infused with mako. Going against her better judgment, she reached over to pet the rabbit. She managed to scratch it gently behind the ears. It even curled up onto her lap. "Aren't you the cutest thing!" she said to the rabbit, while she continued to pet it

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Suddenly the rabbit perked up it's ears as if it heard something. "What's wrong little guy?" Aeris asked it. The rabbit scurried off of Aeris' lap and into some tall grass nearby. Aeris got up to follow it to where it went. When she got there, she noticed that the rabbit was holding something. "Hey what do you have there?" she asked, reaching over to pick it up. It was a silver pocket watch. She opened it. Inside it, there was an inscription in what seemed to be a foreign language. "Estauns, interi, ira ve, hementi, Sephiroth." She dropped the watch. "It is time, " said a cold voice that belonged to a man. She looked at the rabbit's intense green eyes. They no longer looked innocent, but menacingly evil. Aeris started to back away. Suddenly the rabbit jumped up as if about to attack, instead it stomped the ground. The soil under Aeris' feet began to give way as a giant hole appeared. Aeris tried to scream, but it was caught in her throat as she fell down the rabbit hole.

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**Chapter 2: Into darkness**

Down the hole Aeris fell, not knowing or seeing, where she was going to land. She noticed she wasn't falling very fast. "Weird," she said. "I'da thought I would've plummeted to my death by now. I guess not since I already know how I'm supposed to die." She sighed. Suddenly she started seeing even weirder things. She saw a floating furniture, a globe of her planet; spinning wildly. She saw an image of a mouse getting it's tail chopped off by a giant meat cleaver. She saw some dazzling bright colors and lights. "I wonder what kinda drugs Hojo experimented with, cuz I've gotta be seriously tripping right now." she said looking around.

As if she needed any more surprises, there was the silver rabbit right next to her. "This is all your fault!" she began accusing it. "If you hadn't been so cute, I never would have..." "If your curiousity hadn't got the best of you my dear, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this current predicament." Interrupted the cold voice from before. But this time, it had come from the silver rabbit. "Curious little Cetra," laughed the rabbit. "I-I don't know what your'e talking about!" Aeris replied nervously. "Don't deny what uyou are ancient, I very well don't." And with that the rabbit started to transform into a familiar form. The form of the great General Sephiroth. " S-se-se..." Aeris stuttered. "That's right," he laughed. "Follow me if you wish to leave this world; follow the silver rabbit." He said as he pulled her face close to his and kissed her gently. "So cold," Aeris said when he pulled away. Sephiroth laughed as he turned back into the rabbit. "Come," he said as he vanished. Aeris looked around but saw no sign of him. Then, she finally landed.

Aeris looked around to see if there was any sign of the Silver rabbit. "Where'd you go?" she said, half expecting to hear an answer. "Oh," she said as she spotted a doorway. She walked to the doorway and saw there was a long corridor. At the end of it, was the silver rabbit. The rabbit casted a shadow in the shape of Sephiroth; who beckoned her to follow. Aeris walked down the corridor. "His lips, they were so cold. He can't possibly be alive with lips so cold, let alone human." she said touching her lips. "What am I doing?" she scolded herself as she blushed. "He's my would be murderer!" All of a sudden she felt sad again. "I wish it weren't so." She thought of all her friends and how they didn't know she was going to die. But she knew. She had always known. She'd dreamt about it ever since she could remember. She was terrified when she saw the rabbit transform. She froze and it was then that she thought she was going to die. Instead, he let her live. But, why? Before she realized it she reached the end of the hall.

In front of her there was a wooden door, so the logical thing to do was to open it Inside was a simple room with a fireplace, two chairs, and a table. On the table sat the silver rabbit staring at her. "What am I supposed to do now?" she asked him. "Drink." He replied. Puzzled Aeris was about to ask what, when he stepped aside to reveal two bottles on the table. "You expect me to drink whatever the heck is in that bottle without knowing what it is? No way!" she protested, crossing her arms."Fine," said the rabbit as he hopped off of the table. "Stay here then." He turned to leave. "Just so you know, had I wanted to kill you I would've done so already." And with that he scurried into a very small opening in the wall. "Cocky bastard," Aeris said as she walked over to the table.

On the table were two bottles, one red and one blue. she picked up the blue bottle. It had a label on it that read "eat me". Inside it were bits of something that looked like sunflower seeds; the ones without the shells. "Better put this in my pack, just in case, she said putting it in a small pocket of her pack. She then picked up the red bottle. It too had a label. It read, "Drink me." She smelled it. It had a strawberry scent. "Well, he did say drink." she said putting the bottle to her lips. "Well, bottoms up." She drank the contents of the small bottle. "Mmm," she said as she licked her lips. "It was strawberry." Aeris looked around. "Now what?" she said walking towards the opening where the cute Sephiroth bunny had disappeared through. Suddenly Aeris felt a rumbling in her stomach. "Oh man," she said grabbing her abdomen. She doubled over in pain and dropped her pack and staff in the process. Then, she belched; loudly. "Oh, my!" she said giggling, hand to her mouth. "Excuse me."

It was then that Aeris made a huge realization. Everything around her, including her staff and pack, was exaggeratedly enourmous. "This is a joke, right?" she walked over to her pack."YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" she exclaimed."I've got to be about three inches tall! How am I supposed to protect myself when all my stuff is in there!" she walked over to her guard staff. "This thing's bigger than the pipes in Midgar. How can I just leave this all behind? I guess I have no choice." She headed furiously towards, what she could now see, a door through where she presumed the rabbit had headed. "He's got a lot of explaining to do!" she said turning the doorknob.

"Ow! Hey watch it!" It spoke. Aeris jumped back, surprised. "I have a very important nose and if you scratch it, I'll have to tell the queen!" It said. Aeris' jaw dropped as she realized who the doorknob looked like. "Heidegger?" she asked it. "No, not hi, leave and don't touch my nose again!" "Even as a doorknob he's a fat head" Aeris muttered to herself. "How am I supposed to get out of here? You're the only door I see here." she asked the high and mighty doorknob. "Well you;ll just have to find another way!" He snapped at her. "Now leave me alone, I'm trying to sleep!" "But..." Aeris started. "Go Away!" He snapped again. Aeris backed off. "Where's the other way?" she sighed, looking around. She spotted a mouse hole not too far from the door. "A-ha!" she exclaimed as she hurried to it. "Hope there aren't any huge mice home." she said as she entered the mouse hole.

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A/N: There you go. The first two chapters of my fanfic. Hope you guys enjoy! This looked like a lot more written on paper. Also please forgive the way it looks, this editing thing on fanfic got really annoying.Oh well. Like I said let me know what you think. I'll try to update soon. Hope this holds you down for a bit. Well got to go, till next time. Lamica 


	2. Chapter 3

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Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Thanks to those of you who took the time out to read and reveiw my little fanfic here. Hope to hear more reviews soon! And now on with the show.

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**Chapter 3: A land of wonder**

Aeris was looking for a way out of the mouse hole, when she saw a light up ahead. She walked towards it. When she got there. she saw that she was surounded by a forest. She also saw that she was no longer small. As she turned to go back to get her things, the mouse hole had vanished.

"_Sure took you long enough, Cetra."_ said an all too familiar voice from behind her. Aeris jumped, startled by his voice._ "My you're jumpy!" _Sephiroth said laughing. Aeris frowned as she turned around. She didn't like to be toyed with, especially by the likes of him. "Where am I? What's going on? Explain!" demanded Aeris, arms crossed. _"You're kind of cute when you're angry you know that?" _Sephiroth said smiling. Aeris blushed. She was furious. "Answer me!" she said. _"Please?"_ he said crossing his arms. Frustrated, she lowered her tone.

"Please, tell me what's going on?" She sat on the ground. "And the neme is Aeris, ok?" Sephiroth squatted next to her. "_Fine; Aeris_." he said. "_I could tell you a million reasons why this is happening and not one will make any sense_." "Why? Why are you doing this?" Aeris asked, tears sliding down her cheeks. "_I have my reasons_," Sephiroth replied; wiping her tears with his gloved hand. "_Why are you in such a hurry? You just got here_." he asked her. Aeris paused a moment, thinking about what to say. She very well didn't want to just flat out and say 'cuz I'm freaking terrrified of you thats why'. She already knew it was evident on her face, she wasn't going to admit it to him.

"My friends will start to worry." That's the best thing she could think of.

'_That's the best excuse she could think of? Ha! The reason's written all over her face. Silly girl.' _Sephiroth thought. "_Ahh, the puppet and his puppet show_."

"Huh?" Aeris asked, puzzled. "_Nevermind, inside joke_," he replied. Sephiroth stood up and offered her a hand to help her up. She took it and got to her feet. "What do I do now?" she asked him as she began dusting the dirt off her dress. "_Well I can't really say, this forest is grand and has many paths. Where you go is up to you_." Sephiroth replied. "But how am I supposed to know which way to go?" "_You're not. That's what makes it interesting. Cause and Effect. Where you go determines where you end up. You understand?_" Sephiroth asked. "I...yeah... I think I'm catching on." she replied. _"Have you ever read 'Alice in Wonderland'? It happens to be one of my favorites." _Aeris gave him a weird look. "You mean to tell me that I'm Alice and this is wonderland? Let me guess, you're the white rabbit?" Sephiroth laughed. "_You're finally catching up wtih the rest of us. Good shall we proceed_?" Aeris sighed. "This is ridiculous."

Sephiroth smiled. "_Close your eyes_."

"What?" she replied. ' What is he plotting'

"_You heard me. Now do it."_

Reluctantly, Aeris closed her eyes. She felt something cold press aainst her lips and a tug at her hair. She heard him laugh as she opened her eyes. Sephiroth had turned back into the silver rabbit. Only this time, he had her pink hair bow. "Hey give that back!" she shouted as she started to run towards him. "_Catch me if you can_." he said as he dashed through the forest; Aeris not far behind.

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"That no good opportunist! Thinks he can steal kisses from me!" said Aeris as she stormed through the forest. "Where the heck did he go?" She stopped and reached into her pocket. "At least he didn't get this." Between her thumb and index finger, she held a small pale green orb. "I think I would've gone crazy." She put it back in her pocket. "Well now where do I go?" she asked herself; looking around. "I wonder if this place has any signs, maybe I can find my way." She began walking again. "Might as well."

Aeris walked a good distance; when she heard voices nearby. "It's got to be around here somewhere" said one voice. "But, uhh...where do you suppose it could be?" said another. "Just keep looking!" shouted another, more high pitched than that of the other two.

Aeris tried to see who it was from where she was standing. "It's no use. I'll have to get closer if I want to see who it is." Aeris approached the direction from where the voices were coming. "That keyhole has got to be around here somewhere." She got even closer. "Where would the heart of this world be anyway? A-hyuck." Aeris got close enough to see who they were. It was a boy with a giant key, a short white duck, and some kind of large dog. A twig snapped under her foot. 'Crap' she thought.

"Who's there?" queried the boy, getting into battle position.

"Fire!" shouted the duck. Then instantly the bush Aeris was hiding behind of, was ablaze. Aeris jumped away, being careful not to get burned by it.

"I'm sorry for intruding, I was just trying to find my way around here." Aeris said nervously.

"Show yourself!" demanded the boy. Aeris stepped into view. "Gwarsh, it's just a girl." said the dog creature. "You were scared of a girl?" taunted the duck. "I was not!" snapped the boy. He put his giant key down. "We thought you were a heartless for a second there. Sorry."

"What's a heartless?" Aeris questioned obviously puzzled.

"They're evil living shadows, it's kinda hard to explain." The boy replied

"Oh, I see." Aeris got even more nervous. "Any Idea where I might be able to find my way out of here? Or where I am for that matter." "You're in Wonderland. A-hyuck. We're just as clueless as you about getting out of here though." answered the dog creature. "Well I guess I should just get going then, no point in holding you up for no reason. One question, who are you guys?" she asked.

"I'm Sora, that's Goofy, and the short one is Donald." he replied. "Why I oughtta!" steamed Donald.  
"Now Donald, Sora was just kidding. A-hyuck. Besides he's not lying."  
"Rub it in why don't ya?" Donald replied. "Hey who are _you_?"

"I'm Aeris. Nice to meet you all." She paused for a moment. "Have any of you seen a Silver rabbit run past this way, he was carrying a pink hairbow?"

"Nope. We've been to busy looking for a keyhole. Have you seen one?" asked Sora.

"I have. It was attached to a fat head for a doorknob." she replied.

"Where was it? If you don't mind us asking." Goofy asked eagerly.

Aeris replied " Well I can't be sure. The room had a table and two chairs..."

"I know exactly where that is! Thanks!" Sora said as the trio started in the direction she had just come from."Hey! Wait!" she shouted. It was of no use. They were gone and she was alone; again.

"I sure hope I don't run into any of those heartless things they were talking about." she said to herself, continuing her walk.

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A/N: There you have it! another chapter. Sorry it's so short but I'm very tired, and i figured this is the way i should end this chapter. thanks for tuning in. till next time. bye for now. hope i'll be able to update soon after. Lamica 


	3. Chapter 4

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Hey everybody! Good to be with you once again. Hope you enjoyed my last little tid bit. I enjoyed writing it.Well here I go again. On with the show!

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**Chapter 4: Gemini **

Aeris was getting really fed up with everything that was going on; more like getting fed up with going no-where. At least she can always manage to keep busy by looking at all the beautiful flowers there were in there. Some of which she's never seen before. There were creatures of all kinds, but nothing menacingly evil.

"He did so tell us to wait here!"  
"No way, why isn't he here yet!"  
"Waaaaarrk!"

'Oh my I wonder what that could be,' Aeris asked herself. 'They sounded like children, I wonder if they need help.' She began approaching with caution. She wasn't about to take any chances. Especially with heartless running around. They sounded like something that wouldn't be a very fun experience to go through, she was defenseless. She had dropped her pack and staff before she shrank. 'Why the heck didn't I ask him for it, what is wrong with me? I know he's hot, but damn! to make me forget about asking about my stuff? Maybe it was his plan all along. Nothing I can do about it for the moment. I'm just going to have to remember the next time i see him...'

Aeris was so busy rambling to herself, that she didn't realize the root of a tree sticking out of the ground and tripped. She hit the ground; hard.

"Who are you?" asked a little girl.

"Ow... that really hurt!" Aeris groaned.

"Are you alright Miss?" asked the little boy.

"I'm alright, thanks." Aeris paused nervously. "Guess I should've watched where I was going."

"That still doesn't explain who you are!" said the little girl crossing her arms.

"Please excuse my sister Ai, she's not the type to remember her manners." the little boy said, rolling his eyes at his sister.

"My name isYu."

"My name is Aeris. I'm sorry for interupting. I heard you two arguing and I thought that you might need help."

"WAAAARRK!"

"That's Chobi, " said Yu.

"Please to meet you all, are you all right?"

"We're ok, we're just waiting for someone. You have'nt seen him have you?" asked Yu.

"Was he with a dog, a duck, and carried a giant key?"

"He was more along the lines of tall dark and handsome," Ai replied.

"Nope, haven't seen him."

Ai, Yu, and Chobi all sighed.

"Well now what do we do, Yu?"

"Well if you don't mind, I can keep you company till your friend arrives." Aeris suggested.

"We wouldn't want to impose. You were probably on your way to somewhere important". Yu said.

"I'm actually lost, so it doesn't matter where I go; I always end up there." Aeris explained.

"Great! Can we tell you a story, you know to pass the time? Hey Ai you know the one about the God in the future?"

"Yeah, I know the one. I still don't see why we have to talk to her. She's a complete stranger. How are we supposed tell whether this isn't another one of The Earl's henchmen."

"Ai, don't you think you're exaggerating just a bit? Honestly don't you think she would have harmed us already if she was one of them?"

"I guess you're right. Sorry about that." Ai apologized.

"Would you like to hear the story?" Yu asked, eagerly.

"Sure why not." Aeris replied, smiling.

"Ahem," Yu cleared his throat " In a time before time, there was a vast ocean in the midst of a void. This planet devoid of life, was looked upon by the god Yevon."

Ai continued. "It was then that the god Yevon took pity upon this mass. ' I shall breathe life into where there exists none. I shall create a vast and wonderous place for life of all kind.' And so the god Yevon did. He brought light into the darkness, land to separate the waters; and a variety of creatures to cultivate it. The god Yevon saw that this was indeed good. He called it Spira."

"And time for some time, was good" Added Yu.

"Till humanity thought that they should surpass gods. Yevon was very displeased. So he called upon his prophet Yunalesca, of Zanarkand."

"Zanarkand was a city, renowned for it technological advances. They had bright lights, tall buildings that almost seemed to hover over the sea, and Machina."

"Machina was the latest in technological warfare. Machina was the reason that the Lord Yevon was angry. Not only with the people in Zanarkand, but the entire Spira itself was displeasing the god."

Surprised at the children's vocabulary, Aeris listened intently.

"While Zanarkand wasn't the only place to have machina in Spira, it was surely the most abundant in it. The prophet Yunalesca pleaded with her people to change their ways. "

"Her cries fell onto deaf ears."

"So Lord Yevon sent the Angel of Death."

"It's name was Sin."

"Sin devoured and destroyed the metropolis that was Zanarkand. Yunalesca summoned vast forces to help conquer the giant beast that arose from the water, but to no avail. She too was smitten by the angel of death."

"Since that fateful day, Sin has been the reaper to those souls who rebel against the Lord Yevon and use the forbidden machina. Spira will forever atone for their sins until the next prophet reedems him or herself for an entire world."

"How sad," Aeris said. She could almost feel the pain of that planet. She knew all too well, for it was the pain of her own world.

"It's a true story, you know." said Ai.

"They're still awaiting a savior to free them from Sin." Said Yu.

"WAAAARRRK!"

"What's the matter boy?" Asked Yu.

Before the chocobo could say anything else, a man stepped out from behind Aeris. 'Oh my goodnes he kinda looks like Vincent, but it couldn't be, could it?' Aeris thought to herself.He had a gun that looked different from the ones she's seen Vincent carry.

"Mr.Kaze where were you? We've been waiting here a long time. Well?" Ai said pouting, crossing her arms.

"Let's go" said the man.

"This is Aeris..." started Yu, but was completely brushed off.

"WAAAARRRK!"

"What is it this time Chobi?" Ai asked him.

The chocobo dashed forward and plucked the little girl up by her pigtail. It then bolted in the direction that Mr. Kaze was headed.

"It was nice meeting you, Aeris." said the little boy waving as he bagan to part ways with her.

"Nice meeting you too, thanks for the story"

"Remember it. It'll mean something to you later on in life."

Suddenly, something bolted past her feet. Like a flash of lightning. This little bolt had a small pink tint to it. Aeris waved back at Yu and hurried after it. It was the silver rabbit.

"Oh you're not getting away from me that easily!" she said hurrying down the path that the little rabbit passed through.

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A/N: All's well that ends well. I really let my imagination do the talking on this one. What I mean to say is that I typed this off the top of my head. this is the only place where it exists, here and on my floppy of course. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, I sure enjoyed writing it. Till we meet again. -Lamica 


	4. Chapter 5

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Welcome everyone for another round of Aeris In Wonderland! I know I'm on a roll with the writing, I'm taking advantage while I still can. I had actually been writing this on paper and lost interest for a while. On top of that I had really bad writers block, and well you all know how that is. But I'm actually glad to be sharing it with you. By the way - ENJOY!

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**Chapter 5: Golden Afternoon**

Aeris was having a pretty hard time trying to catch up to the silver rabbit, as it sped through the forest. Aeris wondered where he could be leading her to now. 'Why does he have to run so fast? Is he actually getting off on this?' she thought to herself. Suddenly he stopped. And once again, she tripped and fell; hard.

"Oww, not again," she groaned. Her attention was immediately turned to the sound of laughter. 'He's laughing at me?'

"_Guess you should have watched your step, eh Cetra?_" he chuckled. He was his handsome self again and holding her pink hair ribbon.

'Wow I didn't know he had it in him. What's different about him from everything that I've heard. Is he psychotic?'

'_Yes, I am_.' he grinned, reading her thoughts. '_Handy little power.' _

This frightened Aeris indeed, but she tried her hardest to see past that part of him. She saw a hint of sadness in his soul. She beleived he had a soul, just like every creature of this planet.

. He created this world for Jenova, his mother. In this place, she couldn't inhabit his thoughts. It was the only place he was free.

"Are you alright?" Aeris asked him.

"_You're asking me? You're the one who fell_." he replied.

"I'm okay. You however, look like life slapped you in the face."

'_How could she see that_?' he thought. Sephiroth mentally slapped himself for letting her see that part of him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

'Gee the least you could've done was help me up.' Aeris thought to herself. Getting up and dusting herself off. Aeris checked her arm for any scratches. She thought she was okay till she felt a sharp sting on her finger.

"Aww crap! A splinter." she said examining it painfully.

Sephiroth felt a bit guilty for letting her fall, but now he gets to help her.

"_Are you alright_?"

"It's stuck and I don't have any tweezers to get it out with." she replied.

He also created it for her; Aeris.

"Let's go into my house, I think I might have something to remove that with there."

Sephiroth stepped aside and moved a branch, to reveal a cute little cottage.

"_After you, Aeris_." he said, a hand gesturing the way.

"Thanks," she said smiling her smile.

_'Damn that Strife. Why should he be the lucky one. She should be mine. At least for a couple of hours, as terrible as that sounds; she is.' _

The cottage looked like something out of a fairytale. 'Come to think of it, this sort of is a fairytale' Aeris thought to herself. It looked as if it were built out of candy, like the one from Hansel and Gretel. The mail box resembled a lollipop.

"_I hate to admit this, but I have sort of a sweet-tooth. Can't help it, it's one of my guilty pleasures._" he said to her unlocking the door.

"You should taste my fresh macadamia nut cookies," she said . 'Wait why am I conversating and giggling with him, what's wrong with me?' she thought to herself. 'Can't hurt to be nice, even if he is gonna kill me. Maybe I can change that.'

"How about this, I take that splinter out and you make me some cookies." he said flashing her a smile.

'Flirt.' she thought to herself.

"Okay, you have the ingredients?" she said, figuring it wouldn't hurt.

_"I'll conjure something up." _

He opened the door to reveal a cozy living room. Beautifully decorated walls; even the funiture was beautiful. There were fresh cut roses in a vase on the wooden coffee table he had. They were each a different color.

"It's really beautiful in here." she said astonished that a mass-murderer could have such taste.

He knew she'd like it. He found the place very peaceful as well, it reminded him of her. Ever since he rummaged through the files at Shinra mansion and found hers, he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind. She was a Cetra, an Ancient just like him. Just like mother. That's why he felt he needed to meet her. He found her in the dilapidated slums of Midgar, selling flowers. He was searching for his mother, when she accidentally bumped into him. He would've killed her then and there if it wasn't for her beautiful smile. Of course he brushed her off cooly.

'_Watch where you're going_.'

'Oh, so sorry Sir, it was my fault. Take this as an apology'

She handed him a flower and was on her way. He found it strange that a flower would grow in place like this. It dawned on him then who she was. He turned back to see where she went, but she was gone.

"_Thank you_," he said "_Please have a seat_."

Until he saw her again at the Shinra building. She was imprisoned there. He would've saved her had it not been for Strife who beat him to it.

"_I'll go get something for that, be right back_." he said as he disappeared into the next room.

Aeris sat down in a velvety beige couch with with a floral pattern. In front of her was the coffee table with the roses. She leaned over into them and smelled them. They smelled very nice. She turned to see where Sephiroth was. Just because she liked his house, doesn't mean that she had to turn her back on him. In the other end of the living room, she spotted a tray full of chocolate chip cookies.

"I'm so hungry, I'm sure he won't mind." she said as she put one in her mouth; they were bite sized. "Mmm, these are really good," She licked her lips. She was about to reach for another one when she realized how big her hands got all of sudden.

"Oh, no." Aeris said. She grew so big, her arm got stuck through a window. "How am I gonna explain this to Sephiroth?" she asked herself.

"_Aeris, how you holding up_?" said Sephiroth walking back into the room._ "Holy Shiva! How did you manage to do that?"_

"I'm so sorry, I was so hungry. I couldn't help my self they looked so tasty" Aeris said, blushing and eyes watering up.

_"Well I guess I won't be needing these to take out your splinter. I could just pull it out now." _he said; almost laughing.

Aeris began to cry. Her tears began splashing the living room, flooding it a little. It was as if someone was dropping buckets of water.

"Hey Aeris don't cry, it was just a joke. Eat another one to see if it will reverse the effect, before you drown us both." he said to her trying to calm her down.

"I can't. my good arm is stuck through the window, and this splinter really hurts. Besides that one's stuck too." she continued to sob.

Sephiroth grabbed a cookie from the tray. "Here catch, open your mouth."

"What am I a dog?" she said to him getting very annoyed with her current situation.

_"Do you want to get back to normal or not?"_ Sephiroth said getting a little annoyed with her stubborness.

Aeris opened her mouth and Sephiroth tossed the cookie into her mouth. Instantly she began shrinking. Problem was how was she going to stop shrinking? It didn't seem to end. Now Sephiroth was getting larger and larger.

_"Shit!" _cursed Sephiroth.

He tried to catch her before she shrank even more. Quick reflexes or no, he failed. She shrank so much, so fast, he couldn't grab her. Sephiroth quickly went to the front door and opened it, hoping to drain the water from the room before she could drown.

_"I hope she didn't drown. Damn, how could I have been so stupid!" _The clock in his house chimed. _"I'm sure she's fine wherever she is. As for me I'm late, mother'll scold me if I don't attend to her promptly." _With that, Sephiroth left the house.

* * *

Aeris swam and swam. More like flailed her arms wildly as she didn't know how to swim. They don't exactly have pools in Midgar, and she's never been to a beach. She noticed the water level dropping and was flushed outside. She landed on the concrete path in front of the house. Aeris began to cough, gasping for air. She was three inches tall again. She began surveying the area before getting up. Just then Sephiroth stepped out of the house. He would've stepped on her had she not jumped out of the way in time. 

"And I'm the one who should watch were I am going." Aeris said sarcastically. She started getting up. "Now what do I do?" Before she had a chance to think, she was knocked down again. "Why is it that I take this trip often?" she said annoyed that she kept meeting with the ground. She began choking and coughing violently.

"What's that smell?" she said gagging

Aeris turned and saw a black mushroom standing in front of her. It had a purple outfit on. It was adorable until the thing turned into metal.

"This can't be good." Aeris said scrambling to her feet.

Another wave of the poison gas emanated from the fungus. Aeris began to run, but another one appeared in front of her.

"I'm so dead," she said hesitating to move.

Then she felt something yank her away from them. It was another mushroom. Only this one was different from the others. This mushroom had a white robe and a pink cap.This one seemed friendly. It saved her life and she was grateful

"Thank you," Aeris told it.

It bowed and jumped up and down. It looked playful. It started shivering.

"Are you cold?" She asked it.

It jumped up gleefully. Then it began to fan itself. Aeris figured it out. It was playing charades.

"Now you're hot?"

Again it jumped up. This time it stopped moving.

"Why did you stop?" she asked it.

The white mushroom jumped up gleefully and dropped a little box for her then, it vanished. Aeris walked over to it and picked it up. She opened the box to reveal a remedy potion.

"Oh, thank goodness I can already feel the black mushroom's poison working"

She drank the potion and instantly felt the poisonous toxins leave her body. She began walking through the garden near Sephiroth's cottage. The blades of grass resembled the tall pillars of Midgar.

"I hope something else doesn't mistake me for food."

Then Aeris heard laughing nearby. She kept walking towards it. They were female. Aeris approached them, this time she was watching her step.

"Umm...hello." She started.

"Who are you?"

They were flowers.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. I'm Aeris."

"It's quite alright, my name's Edea. Pleased to meet you." said one of the roses.

"We were just discussing a tragedy that occured earlier," replied one of the daisies that oddly enough, reminded her of Yuffie.

"Oh my, yes. A dozen of my closest friends were cut from their homes by a fellow with silver petals." Added Edea.

"Oh how sad," Aeris said, remembering the roses in Sephiroth's cottage.

"Yes quite a tragedy indeed." replied a white rose from the far left.

"Good Afternoon, Ultimecia." said Edea to the white rose. "I'm so sorry for your loss dear."

"Thank you, yes Adel was my sister. She will surely be missed." She glanced at Aeris. "And who are you dear?"

"That's Aeris," replied one of the little flowers.

"Selphie dear, I asked her, not you. Mind your manners." Ultimecia snapped back at her.

"Don't be so hard on her, she's just a child." Aeris said to the white rose.

"And what kind of flower are you, with your weird petals?" sneered Ultimecia.

"I'm not a flower at all." Aeris replied.

All the flowers gasped.

"Then you're a weed and we don't like weeds in our garden!" Ultimecia stated.

The other flowers chimed in.

"Oh, no a weed."

"I'm not a weed, I'm a woman!"

'The nerve of those flowers.' Aeris thought.

"Leave at once!" Ordered Ultimecia the white rose.

"But..." Aeris started.

Then Ultimecia shoved Aeris and knocked her down, re-instating the pain in her finger.

"I can't wait till I grow again and when I do, you're the one I'm gonna pluck first!" She said as she staggered to her feet. Aeris was furious. All the flowers gasped and kept calling her a weed. She left the unruly bunch of flowers."She was one to talk about manners." She said to herself and contunued her way through the giant garden.

* * *

A/N: There you have it! Hope you enjoyed it. I tried to make it longer than my other chapters. Hope it was. Well let me know what you guys think. This is Lamica Lee, saying good fight, good night. I've gotta lay off the sugar. bye now 

Lamica

P.s. I just thought of something silly. If Squall from FF8 was a flower, he'd be Squall DandeLionheart. lol. buh-bye


	5. Chapter 6

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Hey everyone how are ya? Ahem Welcome to Aeris-piece theater. On tonight's show...yeah right like I'm gonna spoil it! Well as you all may have noticed, I have type-o's. It's a serious disease I tell ya. Sorry about that, my fingernails were long. Any girl (or boy if you keep them long) that can type, can relate. On top of that I was so tired from typing, that when I revised it , I must of missed some of them. Well enough babbling, ON WITH THE SHOW!

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* * *

**

**Chapter 6: A Mad Scientist and a Dream**

Aeris left the mean flowers and continued on through the massive garden. Cold, wet, tired, and hungry, Aeris complained out loud to herself.

"Man for something that's supposed to help you feel better, it sure gives you an upset stomach." Aeris groaned.

"I hope that's not what I think that is. I think I'm gonna hurl. Maybe the remedy didn't cure that type of poison."

Aeris saw a cloud of smoke ahead, almost like the kind that surrounded the drug-dealers back in the Midgar slums. But this type of smoke smelled differently. It didn't have a grassy smell like the kind back home.

"Maybe this is what's making me sick."

Then she heard singing.

"J-E-N-O-V-A..."

'What the heck is that?' Aeris thought to herself. Then it got louder.

"C-R-I-S-I-S...F-R-O-M..."

Aeris got a bit closer, covering her mouth. The smoke was getting thicker. She began to feel a bit light-headed. But she was curious to know who that was. He sounded so familiar, like something from a nightmare. She saw a giant mushroom, not like the ones that she saw earlier, this was your regular garden variety. She saw an opium bowl like the one Don Corneo had back at his mansion. As she got closer, she heard it better.

"T-H-E...S-K-Y..."

'IS THAT HOJO?' Aeris froze in her tracks. The sound of his voice, chilled her blood. She tried to creep back the way she came.

"I know you're there, who are you?"

'Shit' Aeris wasn't the type to curse, she left that up to Cid and Barrett. But this time she was too terrified to care.

"I asked you a question." he addressed her again.

"Y-you mean you don't know?"

"If I had known, would I have asked you?"

'I'll lie.' Aeris thought to herself.

"My name's Alice." she replied to him, trying to get a better look at him.

"Alice, why are you here?"

"I was just trying to find my way..."

"Every way, is the queen's way here."

"Right the queen, can't wait to meet her." Aeris muttered sarcastically.

"Speak up girl, that's very rude." It was Hojo. Everytime he spoke, smokey letters came out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry to have intruded, I just thought you could tell me where I am?"

"You are here."

"I know I'm here, now how can I get out of 'here'?" she was getting rather annoyed with him.

"Why?" he blew a big cloudy Opium "Y" into Aeris's face. She choked.

'I hope I don't get a contact high from this crap.' Aeris thought to herself, trying to futiley fan away the smoke.

"Why? Because I'm Tired of being small, that's why." A hint of aggravation in her tone.

"How much bigger can you get?" he asked her.

"A lot taller than a crappy three inches, that's for sure."

This angered the Hojo caterpillar.

"I'M THREE INCHES TALL!" he shouted. Aeris instinctively flinched.

He was so angry that he huffed and puffed and Poof! He vanished.

"I wonder where he went?" Aeris said.

"UP HERE, CHILD." came a voice from above her.

"Oh, wow the opium is kicking in. Now he's a butterfly." Aeris said looking up at him. He was very colorful. Maybe an effect of the opium, she thought.

"One side will make you taller, one side will make you smaller."

"What side of what?" she asked him, confused.

"THE MUSHROOM!" he shouted at her angrily. Then he flew away.

"One side will make me taller and one smaller, huh?" Aeris said walking up to the mushroom. She took a piece from the left side and a piece from the right.

"Is this even safe to eat?" Aeris recalled the earlier incident with the remedy. Hojo's effect on her made her forget about it.

"Well it can't hurt to try it. It might actually work this time."

* * *

Meanwhile...

* * *

All the while he visited Mother, he couldn't help but wonder if Aeris was alright. He got away with thinking about her while he was with Mother, because of this world. Now he was on his way to see someone else of special importance. But first he had to summon him.

_"Lord Shaper of Dreams, I summon thee. It is I Sephiroth who seek your audience."_

Sephiroth was transported out of Wonderland and into the Dreaming. He stood in front of a giant gate, that was guarded by a Wyvern, a Gryphon, and a Winged horse.

"State you're business here." said the Wyvern.

_"I am here to seek the audience of the Lord Shaper of Dreams, I am Sephiroth."_

"The Lord Shaper bid's you enter. But do not stray from the path, for your safety cannot be guaranteed if you do." said the Gryphon. And with that they opened the massive gate.

Sephiroth found himself walking down a beautifully decorated palace with all sorts of creatures walking about. He saw a pumpkin head smoking a cigar and carrying a ladder.

"Beautiful day isn't it? I painted it myself." he said walking away.

Sephiroth came to a large room with a throne at the far end.

**"You may enter." **came an ethereal voice from the throne.

_"Lord Shaper, I have come to request an audience this afternoon to discuss our agreement. I have come to ask for more time."_

**"The terms of our agreement were finalized earlier, why is it that you wish for more time?"**

He was a rake thin man, with skin the color of fresh fallen snow. His eyes were endless pools of darkness. His hair, the color of night.

_"I lost the girl." _he felt foolish, but it was the truth. Sephiroth hoped that would be enough to grant him his wish.

_"I will be in your debt. I will do as you ask if you grant me this. Please." _This is not the kinda guy you wanted to upset. Even Sephiroth knew that. They were suddenly interrupted by the voice of a woman.

"Hey Dream, you got a minute?" She was as pale and thin as the dream king. She wore an ankh on a cord around her neck, and she too had hair the color of night. She was dressed head to toe in black.

"Oh I'm sorry, didn't know you had company." She looked at Sephiroth. "I know you from somewhere don't I?"

_"I'm the one who escaped your grasp before." _Sephiroth said to her.

**"Very well, I shall grant you two more hours time. The terms are you shall be in my debt, and you shall do as I ask if ever the need arises. Now go on your way and safe travels."**

Sephiroth turned to the woman. _"I wan't to ask you something."_

"She's not with me." the woman replied.

_"Thank you." _And with that Sephiroth left the throne room and the dreaming.

* * *

Back In Wonderland...

* * *

Aeris was still contemplating whether or not to eat the mushroom. She didn't want to end up with another stomach ache. Aeris felt her temperature rise a bit. Then she began to sneeze. 

"Ahh-choo!" she sniffled.

"Oh, great now I've caught a cold." She looked at the two pieces of mushroom in her hands.

"Well, here goes nothing,"

She took a small bite out of the lightest of the two pieces first. Almost instantly, Aeris began to grow till she was her normal height.

"That's better. Guess I should save this for later, just in case." she said as she sniffled again. She put the two pieces of mushroom in the inside pocket of her jacket.

"Now what?"

Aeris surveyed her surroundings. She noticed that she was in an entirely different area, than from where she was before she shrank. From the looks of everything, Sephiroth's cottage was nowhere to be seen.

"Did I walk that far from his house?" The forest seemed endless.

"Great more walking. I should've fallen asleep with the rest of the gang instead of letting my curiousity get the best of me."

Aeris sighed. "Well it's like the phrase goes, curiousity killed the cat. I barely escaped that fate earlier.

"But have you heard that satisfaction brought him back?" Came a voice from one of the trees.

"Who's there?" asked Aeris, startled by it.

Then a cat like creature appeared on a tree branch.

"Red?" Aeris asked it, puzzled.

"More like a burnt sienna really." he said grinning. She'd never seen Red grin before. He looked sort of insane smiling like that.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Aeris asked him, getting creeped out by his facial expression.

"I'm a chesire cat. Chesire cats always smile." Aeris forgot about that. The last time she heard the story of Alice in wonderland was when her mother, Ilfana, told it to her.

"Can you help me find a way out of here?"

"Hmm...well over there lives a hatter." he said pointing west. Or at least Aeris thought it was west. The cat disappeared and then reappeared on another nearby branch. " And over there, lives the march hare." This time, he pointed the opposite direction.

"Ahh-Chooo." Aeris sneezed. "Excuse me. What was that last one?"

"The last one of what?" he asked.

"What did you just say?"

He disappeared and then reappeared, this time he hung by his tail.

"What did I just say?" he asked her.

Aeris was getting rather annoyed with this game.

"Are you Mad?" Aeris asked him.

"Why everyone here's mad!" he said disappearing and reappearing again.

"Would you quit doing that, it's making me dizzy."

"Quit doing what? This?" and with that he vanished, leaving his smile to disappear last.

"That was annoying. Oh no. Ahhh-Choo!"

Aeris sneezed as she headed in the direction of the Hatter's residence.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed reading tonight's episode. Lol. For those of you that don't know, the part where Sephiroth visited the dreaming was based on Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman". Poor Aeris, I wonder what I'm gonna put her through in the next chapter. I guess you'll just have to wait and see. Tune in next time for Aeris In Wonderland. Take care every body. Let me know what you think, ya? -Lamica

ps: here's a thought. If something is mispelled in the dictionary, how would you know?


	6. Chapter 7

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head.

A/N: Well hello, nice to see you all again. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I apologize if the chapters seem too short, I keep getting pulled back and forth all over the place, that I really can't sit here too long. Well I'm gonna do the best I can. Now, On with the show!

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* * *

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**Chapter 7: Mad Hatter; March Hare **

Aeris continued her way to the Hatter's residence. She didn't really know why she wanted to go there, but she figured maybe he had a bathroom she could use. Her hair was frazzled, she was soaking wet, and the last time she went, was at the Gold Saucer. Aeris examined her splintered finger. It had swelled up a bit, but at least it was numb for the moment. That is, as long as nothing touches it.

"I wonder how much further it is to this hatter guy's house."

Just then Aeris heard singing and laughter.

"My, everyone here is jolly." Aeris said sarcastically, feeling as if she was the joke that everyone was laughing about.

"I wonder where Sephiroth went." Aeris couldn't figure out why she was wondering about him. "Maybe it's because he's responsible for this whole madness." Aeris sighed. "Sephiroth's the only one who knows the way out of here." Aeris remembered the look of sadness he tried to hide earlier. She wondered what the reason for his sadness could be, and the reason why he brought her here. "Maybe they're connected. Maybe he thinks that I can help him, before it's too late. Sounds kinda farfetched really."

Aeris smelled something sweet in the air; like warm pastries and tea. She could see a long table up ahead. It looked like it was set for a lot of people, only there weren't a lot of people sitting at it; only two.

"This must be the part about the Tea party." Aeris said to herself. "Well let's make like Alice and go over there uninvited."

She approached the table.

"Excuse me I'm lost..." Aeris started.

"NO ROOM!" shouted a man in a very large hat. He was at the end of the table, along with his guest. She moved in closer so she could see them better.

"Oh my god." Aeris' jaw dropped.

Cloud was the 'Mad hatter'. Even more shocking, Zack was the 'March hare'.

"We said there's no room." said Zack the hare.

"I see plenty of room." Aeris said to him.

Zack the hare, looked like himself, only he had two brown ears sticking out of his jet black hair. Cloud, the mad hatter, had a massive head and a small body. On top of his massive head, sat a large top hat with a chocobo emblem on the front. 'Wow, Sephiroth went all out on this.' Aeris thought.

'Zack.' Aeris hadn't seen him since he left her to be in SOLDIER. Looking at him now, saddened her heart a bit. 'I wonder what really happened to him.'

Cloud. Even in the form that he was now made Aeris' heart stir. She liked Cloud from the moment she saw him after the reactor exploded. But she and Cloud could never be. Tifa was in love with him, though Tifa would never admit it upfront. Aeris figured it would be pointless for her to get in between them, she wasn't long for this world. She had a destiny to fulfill.

"Why are you here?" asked the hare.

" I've been walking around in circles all day trying to get out of here. Now I'm tired and hungry." Aeris replied.

"Well that's different," said the hatter.

"We've been eating for hours," continued the hare.

"And we're not finished yet." added the hatter. They both laughed, uncontrollably. It was then that Aeris realized there was a third member. It was asleep with it's head on the table. It looked sort of like a mog. Aeris sat in one of the chairs. It was very comfortable and every thing looked so delicious. Aeris' stomach rumbled.

"What is your name?" asked the hare.

"Aeris," she gave them a warm smile.

"Well Aeris, have some wine." said the hare.

"I don't see any wine." Aeris replied

"That's because there isn't any. Door Mog drank it all."

"Then that was very rude of you to offer." Aeris replied annoyed.

"And it was very rude of you to sit down uninvited. This is a private party." sneered the hare.

"I guess I shouldn't have just barged in uninvited, but the table looked like it was laid out for a lot of people. I'm sorry."

"Here's some advice, get your hair cut. It's not letting you think straight." commented the hatter. He laughed uncontrollably.

"It's very rude to make personal remarks about someone. Especially in front of them." Aeris replied back. 'The nerve'.

" I didn't know that. Personal remarks are rude?" the hatter queried.

"Yes they are." she answered.

"Well you learn something new everyday! Make a note of that Marchy, it might be useful. " he said to the hare.

"Now I have one for you," he said looking at the hare. "Why is a tree, like a dog?"

"Why is a tree like a..." started the hare, but was interrupted by the hatter.

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Why not? Aren't I good enough?"

"Because you heard this one before."

"But you were looking at me when you said..."

"I WAS TALKING TO AERIS!" shouted the hatter to the hare.

"Hmm...why is a tree like a dog...you know I'm pretty sure that I can guess..."

Aeris looked at the plate of cookies in front of her. She was about to eat one, when she realized it wasn't a cookie at all. It was a tiny turtle. 'There goes my appetite'.

"You mean you think you know the answer?" asked the hare.

"Yes..." Aeris started but was interrupted.

"Then you should say what you mean." said the hare.

"Well I do, that is I mean what I say."

"That's not the same thing. That's like saying 'I sleep where I eat; I eat where I sleep'..." said the hatter.

"Or 'I get what I like; I like what I get." said the hare, swatting something on the table.

Then the Mog spoke.

"Or you might as well say. Kupo. 'I breathe when I sleep' is the same thing as 'I sleep when I breathe'..." and he dozed back to sleep.

"In your case Moggy, this is true," said the hatter.

The mog mumbled something before dozing of again.

"CLEAN CUPS!" shouted the hatter suddenly. They all got up and started getting another seat. The hare and the hatter lifted the mog and took him to another seat. Once they all settled down, the hatter spoke.

"What day of the month is it?"

"The twelfth," answered the hare.

"I knew it, it's broken. Two day's slow. I told you not to use butter!" he told the hare.

"It was the best butter."

"I specifically told you not to put butter on the clock works with the bread knife!"

"I don't understand it, let me see your watch." Said the hare.

"I really don't want to give it to you, but, here." said the hatter, giving it reluctantly to the hare. The hare banged it on the table.

Aeris stared at Cloud the hatter. A joke, that Sephiroth played on her. 'Why would Sephiroth go through all the trouble of doing this? Did he do all of this for me? What is he trying to tell me by doing all this.' The hatter and hare continued to argue about the watch. Aeris was growing tire of all the nonsense. She hadn't had a drink or bite of anything since she got here, yet so much more food kept popping up. The tea cup she just picked up, seemed to be bottomless.

"Here, have some more tea." Offered the hatter.

"I haven't had any tea, I can't have any more." Aeris said to him. But he handed her a giant cup of tea anyway.

"You mean you can't have any less."

_"Both of you are stark-raving mad." _

Came a voice, that to Aeris' surprise, was pleasing to hear. 'Oh thank God!' It was Sephiroth. Aeris blushed.

_'She's alright, good.' _Sephiroth thought to himself. _'She looks very glad to see me.'_ .

_"I've been looking all over for you, young lady." _he said to her.

"I say old chap do you know this girl?" asked the hatter.

_'Why I'm stopping from breaking that hatter's neck, I will never know.' _Sephiroth thought.

_"Am I not talking to her, fool?" _Sephiroth responded cooly.

"Well I suppose you have a point there." the hatter said.

Sephiroth extended a hand to Aeris.

"_Come with me, madamé_."

Aeris didn't hesitate a second and grabbed Sephiroth's hand.

"It's been crazy," Aeris said to them.

"Let's go." she said to Sephiroth, practically yanking him out of there. She heard them dropping plates and laughing uncontrollably, as she and Sephiroth walked through the other side of the forest.

_"Shouldn't I get a reward for saving you back there?" _Sephiroth chuckled.

"It's your fault I'm in this mess!" Aeris said, angrily.

_"Technically, it's yours. You followed me here."_

'Damn it. He was right' Aeris thought.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Aeris lowered her face. Her eyes began to water. She was very frustrated. Not to mention she still had to use the bathroom.

_"May we continue what we were doing earlier?" _he said, waiving a pair of tweezers.

"But we're no where near your cottage..." wait that didn't sound right. Too late she walked right into that one.

_"What no dinner first?" _Sephiroth laughed. Aeris blushed profusely at what he was suggesting.

"What I meant was..."

_"Mean what you say; say what you mean."_

"Let's not go there again please."

_"Alright." _Sephiroth said giving off a small giggle. _"Let's go to the cottage then." _

Aeris nodded. Sephiroth stepped aside and there was his cottage.

"Hmm...a mobile home." Aeris commented.

_"Remember you promised to make me some cookies." _Sephiroth said showing her in. Aeris smiled and nodded as she went inside the little cottage.

* * *

A/N: Well there you have it, hope you like. I have to give credit where credit is due. The idea of Zack as the march hare was a suggestion from my husband. Thanks Hon! This was a really hard chapter to write. I had to put too much nonsense in this as best as I could. But, nonetheless, here it is. Thank you for taking your time out to read my fanfic. There's something else that I wish to share with you all. I have a collection of Final Fantasy fanart at www.LamicaLee. . Just some stuff I drew on the computer out of sheer boredom. Let me know what you think of those as well if you get a chance to see them, feel free to email me at : well take care and till next time. -Lamica.

PS: By the way, the answer to "Why is a tree like a dog?"...Because they both lose their bark when they die. Corny I know. buh-bye.


	7. Chapter 8

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head. I don't own the poem either, just the book it's in.

A/N: This chapter is for all you Aer/Seph fans out there. Including me. Hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter 8: Silver and Cold **

_"Once we played at love together-  
Played it smartly, if you please;  
Lightly, as a windblown feather,  
Did we stake a heart apiece._

_Oh, it was delicious fooling!_

_In the hottest of the game,  
Without thought of future cooling,  
all to quickly burned Life's flame._

_In this give-and-take of glances,  
Kisses sweet as honey dews,  
When we played with equal chances,  
Did you win, or did I lose?" _

_Once We Played ; Mathilde Blind 1841-96_

_"Remember you promised to make me some cookies." _Sephiroth said showing her in. Aeris smiled and nodded as she went inside the little cottage.

"It's so nice and warm in here." Aeris said shivering.

_"Would you like to get out of those wet clothes?" _Sephiroth said, grinning mischeviously.

This made Aeris blush.

"Well...um...I...would...but I don't have any extra clothes..." Aeris continued to blush.

Sephiroth grinned at her again. This made Aeris kinda nervous.

_"I could give you a robe, how does that sound?" _

Aeris twiddled her fingers nervously.

"Well...ok I guess. Um can I use your shower, if you don't mind?" Aeris blushed again.

_"Sure, make yourself at home. Do you want me to keep you company?" _

Aeris turned beet red. Sephiroth laughed.

_"Would you like me to keep you company, on the outside of the bathroom?" _

"You want to make sure I don't go down the drain?" Aeris said, still blushing.

_"Something like that." _

"Don't worry about it I'll be fine."

_"Suit yourself."_

Sephiroth showed her the way to the bathroom.

_"The robes are on the shelf."_

Aeris thanked him and entered the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

_'It's so much fun to see her turn red'_ Sephiroth thought to himself, mentally chuckling.

Sephiroth left Aeris and entered the living room. He walked over to a closet that was located by the front door, and opened it. Inside was a dusty brown pack and a guard staff. They were Aeris'.

_"I'll bet she'll be glad to see this." _

Sephiroth grabbed the staff and pack from the closet. He tested the weight of the items, then set it down on the floor by the floral couch.

"I hope she's not in there too long." Sephiroth said looking at the clock. He was running out of time. There were some things that he wanted to say to Aeris and he was hoping to have enough time to tell her.

Meanwhile, in the shower...

'Man this warm water feels good.' Aeris thought, wetting her hair.

She had used one of Sephiroth's shampoo's to wash her hair. Her long beautiful locks were plastered on her body as the shower sprayed her.

'I wonder if he has any food that won't give me some kinda freakish reaction.' Aeris sighed.

'Man what a day I've had so far. Could it be any worse? Probably.'

Aeris let the warm water hit her face. The rest of it trickled down her body, soothing her sore muscles. She felt so calm, so relaxed there. She wished she could've stayed in there, but instead, she began feeling a bit lightheaded.

'I don't think I feel very well. Let me finish up here."

Aeris conditioned her hair, rinsed it, then turned off the shower. She wrung her hair, water splashed into the tub. The robes Sephiroth had, were of white terry-cotton. Aeris put one on and grabbed a towel for her hair. Then she unlocked the door. She had already opened the door and was about to exit, when she felt her head spin. Then, everything went black.

* * *

A half hour had passed since Aeris had went into the shower. Sephiroth had begun to wonder about Aeris.

_'I wonder why she's taking so long.' _

Then he heard a loud thump from the bathroom. Sephiroth didn't hesitate in finding out what it was. He rushed to the bathroom to find Aeris laying unconscience on the floor and revealing a lot. Sephiroth covered her with a the towel she was holding. If this was any other situation, Sephiroth would've enjoyed it. But he could clearly see that she needed help. Still, he couldn't help but blush slightly.

_"Aeris? Talk to me. Aeris?" _Sephiroth took off his gloves to check for a pulse. He found it. He also found that she was burning up in a fever.

_"Here we go." _Sephiroth carefully lifted Aeris up from the floor.

He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Then, he went into the living room and grabbed her staff. He examined the materia on her staff to see if she had any 'Restore' materia. He spotted one and removed it from the staff. Then he rushed back to the bedroom. Sephiroth placed a hand on Aeris' cheek.

_'Gods she is beautiful' _he thought to himself as he wiped her hair from her face. He had to stop himself from kissing her soft luscious lips.

_"Ok, here goes. Cure 2!" _chanted Sephiroth. A blue-green mist emanated from the orb and enveloped Aeris. Sephiroth then carefully lifted her up and pulled the covers over her. Then he kissed her softly on the forehead.

_"I'm sorry." _He said sadly, sitting next to her.

_"There's so much I wanted to say to you. Now, I fear I won't have the time to." _

He grabbed the hand that was splintered. Thanks to the cure spell, it was gone. He kissed her hand. Then he put it to his cheek. He sighed. Sephiroth could never recall a time when he felt this way about anyone. He knew how Mother felt about such feelings. She told him over and over, not to waste time on such trivial things. But he couldn't help it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't expel what he felt for her.

Then Aeris began to stir.

"What? What happened?" she groaned.

_"You fainted. How do you feel?" _Sephiroth asked, already knowing the answer.

"Better now, thank you." She smiled at him.

Sephiroth was relieved that she was fine. But of course that's what the materia was for. Aeris' robe slightly opened to reveal quite a lot of skin. He blushed, then turned away. The image still burned in his mind. _'Damn it. Must control myself.' _

Aeris noticed Sephiroth's expression. She looked down and quickly fixed her problem. Aeris also blushed.

_"Sorry."_

"Sorry." They both said at the same time.

Then came an awkward silence. Sephiroth noting the time limit, quickly broke it.

_"So, are you hungry?"_

"You bet I am."

_"Would you like me to make you something?" _He asked her.

"Sure." she smiled warmly at him.

It almost made his heart jump out of his throat. _'I don't know how much longer I can hold back.' _Sephiroth kissed her hand.

_"I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." _With that, Sephiroth left the room.

' I wonder what else he saw.' Aeris thought.

Aeris examined her finger where the splinter was.

"Guess I owe him some cookies now."

Meanwhile...

He was in the middle of rebuilding a kingdom. An empire that had fallen for a long time, causing an imbalance in all living things. He watched the events that took place. He attended a meeting earlier that his brother had organized. Feeling rather annoyed and pensive about the events that took place at the home of his brethren. He was known by many different names. Morpheus was his perferred name. The King of Dreams, known to all the living. In all worlds.

"Don't be so hard on yourself" His sister Death had told him. What Destiny had said about the fates upset him, but his sibling Desire upset him the most.

Now staring at this mortal and his decision, made him think about what he had to do. He was about to leave to fulfill his contract with the mortal, when his sister Death walked in.

**"Sister can it wait, I have a contract to fulfill."**

"I'ts why I'm Here."

**"Please Explain" **

"They're not long for this world. Let them be for a little while longer."

**"I cannot allow that. The agreement was finalized on the terms agreed."**

"She's going to sacrifice herself for the sake of her world, Dream. Let her be happy for a little while longer. Please. I rarely ever ask you for anything."

**"Very well, Sister. For you I will make the exception."**

Back in Wonderland...

Sephiroth was trying to figure out what to make.

_'Why did I offer to cook? I'm no good at this.' _

He recalls a time in Wutai when he was boiling water. The whole town burned down..

_'I know, I'll make her some of that ramen in a cup stuff.' _

He picked up a styrofoam cup filled with dry ramen noodles that read "chicken flavor with vegetables". He popped it in the microwave, then set the timer for five minutes.

"You must be a microwave chef." Came a voice from behind him

. She caught him off guard. That never happened to him before.

_"Yeah, I'm no good at cooking. Sorry 'bout that." He said giving a sheepish smile._

"Thanks, I could practically live off of that stuff." she said smiling.

Sephiroth was desperately trying to fight the urges that were arising in him. She looked so good in that robe. Now that she was better, he could fully enjoy the images from earlier. Her beautifully sculpted body, the frame of her face, those eyes, her perfectly parted lips. He was losing the battle within himself, very quickly. Then, she kissed him.

_'Damn the second time she caught me off guard!' _Sephiroth thought as those soft lips pressed passionately against his.

He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto the counter top. Aeris ran her fingers through his silky hair, the color of liquid platnum. Sephiroth ran his hands through her beautiful curls. The scent of fresh strawberry, flooding his nose. He desired her so much at that moment, that he couldn't contain his feelings for her any longer.

_"Aeris, I love you."_

Aeris was shocked, she didn't know what to say. 'He- he loves me?'

_"Yes, I couldn't bear it any longer. Ever since I found out you existed. I loved you then, when you bumped into me in Midgar. And I love you now as you are here, with me." _Sephiroth put his arms around her, his cheek resting gently on her head.

Aeris' heart raced. She was confused. Her dreams had foretold what there was to come. 'Could this be the event that leads to that happening? What should I do?' she thought.

Sephiroth read her thoughts. His heart saddened. He knew what Mother had in store for him. He couldn't disobey her even if he wanted to. She could control him mind and body, then left his soul to watch. She had always said that it was for his own good.

'If I'm not sure how I feel about him, then why did I kiss him. I'm not that kind of girl. I wish I didn't have to wake up. I'm actually happier than I've been in a long time. He makes me happy? Why?'

_"It's okay, I understand. Though it doesn't change the way I feel about you." _

Sephiroth reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a tiny black box.

_"I want you to have this." _He opened it. Inside the tiny box, there was a silver chain, with a silver charm attached. The charm was flat in the shape of a running rabbit. The rabbit's eye was represented by a tiny piece of jade.

"Oh, Sephiroth it's beautful. But I can't accept this..."

_"Nonsense. I'm not taking no for an answer."_

Sephiroth opened the clasp and put it around her neck.

_"You are so beautiful." _Sephiroth said, stroking her cheek.

Aeris blushed. "Thank you."

Sephiroth kissed her again, then he walked into the living room. She was still sitting on the counter.

_"Look what I've got," _he said, holding a rather familiar pack and staff.

"I'm wondering why you didn't bring this up before."

_"I wanted to see what you looked like in my robes."_

Aeris turned even redder. Sephiroth took the opportunity and leaned in for a kiss, letting the staff and pack thump to the floor. Aeris once more ran her fingers through his hair. Sephiroth wrapped her legs around his waist. Then, he lifted her off of the counter and headed for the bedroom.

Aeris didn't know why, but she gave in. Sephiroth began to undress by removing his shirt, revealing his bare, smooth, muscular chest. Aeris felt as if she was on fire. She'd never felt this way about anybody. Not Zack, not even Cloud. 'Could this be love?' Sephiroth kissed her neck. The feeling was electric. She gave into him.

"It must be" Aeris said, not noticing that she had said it out loud.

Sephiroth undid the knot on Aeris's robe. She had smooth supple skin. The color of fresh cream. He kissed her stomach gently; stroking her bare side.

"That tickles." she giggled.

Sephiroth pulled off the rest of what he was wearing and slid under the covers with her. Passion like fire with every kiss. Desire with every touch.

"Make love to me." Aeris said pulling him closer.

"Yes."

And with that they were enthralled in each others arms. Slaves to their desire for one another. All the while, unbeknownst to them, being observed.

**_"Another job well done. They don't call me Desire for nothing. Isn't that right, Delight?" _**said a voice that was both male and female.

"Desire! That was a long time ago! Don't call me that! It's Delirium now!"

_**"What brings you about these parts, dear sister."**_

"I helped create it."

_**"I see."**_

Sephiroth sensed a presence in the bedroom, but he didn't care. His wish was fulfilled. He had her. And if she couldn't be his, then no one else could have her either. Especially not Strife.

"I love you Aeris," he whispered in her ear, as they passionately gave into one another.

* * *

A/N: Yes it was a lemon! How's that for ya out there. This is the reason I had to raise the rating just a bit. Hope all of you enjoyed this little Chapter. The parts in this chapter that refer to Death, Dream, Desire, and Delirium, are from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. That part about Dream attending a meeting, is based on Seasons of Mists. It's a really good series. I personally recommend it. Sorry if I confused anyone out there. Well Let me know what you think. Till next time. Later! -Lamica

P.S.: The title for this chapter was inspired by AFI's song "Silver and Cold". Buh-bye now.


	8. Chapter 9

**Aeris In Wonderland**

**Disclaimer:** I only own a copy of Final Fantasy 7 and the only wonderland I have, is in my head. I also don't own The Sandman, the Sandman owns us.

A/N:Hello everyone, nice to see you all again. Sorry it's been awhile. Lack of inspiration gets the best of us every once in a while. Thanks to Yusagi for pointing out the format the story was in and the few grammatical errors. The problem is that I don't have M.S. word so I have to use word pad. Unfortunately word pad doesn't have spell check, but I'll try to do the best I can with what I have. Now enough talk, On With the Show! By the way, I added a special bonus. An original poem based on this fic, well sort of.

**

* * *

Obsession (an ode to the Endless) **

by Me, Lamica Lee.  
not my real name.

Madness;  
what I feel when I think about you,  
dream about you;  
feel what I feel about you.

Desire:  
I want you;  
I need you;  
I want to eat, sleep, and breathe you.

Despair; sorrow at it's ultimate form.

Destiny;  
The paths that our lives take,  
a cruel joke played upon us by the fates.

You are the one I long for,  
the one I dream of.

In dreams I see you,  
hold you;  
never let go of you.

Time seems to be endless there.

Destruction;  
what tears at my sanity,  
not letting me think.  
combined with madness,  
I think I'm on the brink.

On the brink of embracing,  
the dark salvation.  
Kissing you,  
filled with delirium;

As I take your last breath.

**

* * *

Chapter 9: In the Garden of Good and Evil **

She watched as his chest rose and fell gently with each breath.

'Is this for real?' Aeris questioned herself.

Aeris watched his almost angelic features. His eyebrows looked perfect, as if they were painted on. His closed eyelashes resembeled fine bristles, dipped in silver paint. His sleeping form, much like his awake one, was a sight to behold.

'How can something so beautiful be so evil? How could he be the one to take my life in the future? Could anything he said be true? Does he really love me?' Aeris' thoughts rambled on.

'I have to get out of here.'

Aeris began to get out of the bed, not knowing that she was being watched.

_"Not leaving me already, are you?" _Sephiroth asked, grabbing Aeris' arm. Aeris laughed nervously.

"Me? No I was just going to the bathroom, that's all." She said, thinking quickly.

_"Oh, alright then." _Sephiroth let go of Aeris.

_"Hurry back."  
_  
Aeris nodded and put the robe on. Knotting it, on the way out the door. Sephiroth put his hands behind his head and sighed happily. He had a big smile on his face as he thought about the moment of passion they had just shared. Then another thought crossed his mind and he quickly got to his feet and searched his clothing for his pocket watch.

_"Hmm...the terms of the compact were up over an hour ago. I wonder why he never showed up." _

Then he heard the door of the little cottage slam.

_'She couldn't have, could she?'_ Sephiroth thought to himself. He didn't really bother to read Aeris' mind when she had answered him.

_'Idiot.' _

_"Aeris?" _Sephiroth called out; no answer.

Sephiroth, in the buff, went to where Aeris was supposedly going. There was no one. Aeris' pack, staff and clothing were gone. He opened the front door to see if he saw her. There was no sign.

_"Great, now what?" _Sephiroth stared down at himself.

_"Guess I better get dressed and find her."_

Sephiroth walked back to the bedroom, letting the door slam behind him. Once there he began to dress.

_"I sure hope you don't meet the queen," _he said as he continued dressing.

* * *

Meanwhile...

* * *

Aeris felt sort of guilty for just leaving Sephiroth flat like that. She panicked, she felt she had no choice. 

"Too late for that now I guess."

She had left in such a hurry, that she still hadn't gotten dressed. She had hastily grabbed all of her belongings as best as she could, clutching them so they wouldn't fall.

"Where would be a good place to put this on?" she asked herself.

Aeris began looking around, still walking, for fear that Sephiroth might get wise and catch up. She realized that the cottage was not in the same place it had been in before she entered it. She came to a clearing in the forest. There, she found that the path split up into four different paths.

"Guess I'd better 'Eenie, meenie, meinie, mo' my way out of this one."

Aeris picked the path to her right. There she came to a large hedge, with a door-like hole through the middle. The hedge was covered with flowers. This looked very inviting, so Aeris decided to go in. Once there, she looked around to make sure no one was around. Upon confirming this, she undid the knot in her robe and began to dress herself.

Her dress was dry, but it looked really dirty. She had checked her pack to see if she had remembered to pack her extra outfit, but to no avail. The dusty dress had to do. She didn't have any extra hair ribbons either. Sephiroth made off with the only one she had.

"Man I'm so unprepared for these kinda things. Mom was right " She had remembered a time when her mother had poked fun at that fact when she had first begun her flower selling business.

'Do you have your basket?'

'Yes mother,'

'What about an extra shawl, in case it gets cold?'

'Yes mother, I have everything I need.'

When Aeris had gotten home that evening, she had looked kinda upset.

'What's wrong hun?'

'I forgot a few things, that could've spared me a headache today.'

'You'd forget your pretty little head if it weren't attached to you, sweetheart.' her mother laughed.

Her mother was right on that one. Aeris had finished getting herself fixed up. Her hair flowed freely down her back in perfect waves. She took very good care of her hair, so having it frazzled made her very edgy. Thank goodness she had a chance to wash it out at Sephiroth's cottage. Aeris sighed, her heart feeling heavy with sadness.

"Snap out of it Aeris, it cannot be."

Then Aeris heard a loud crash, startling her to a jump. She quickly turned around. This time, her guardstaff ready in her hand.

"Uh...um s-sorry we didn't mean to watch." said a strangely familiar looking Five of spades. He was big and husky, kinda like Barrett. He was also holding a paint brush, the bristles covered in dripping red paint.

"Hold on ya son-ova-bitch, you're splashing red paint all over me!" snapped a Two of spades. His language reminded her of Cid. Come to think of it, he looked exactly like Cid.

"How could he not, when you both were staring at the naked girl instead of painting the roses red!" Came a third voice from behind the rose bush.

"How would you know Seven, unless you were doing the same?" said the Two of spades.

Aeris turned red. Whether it was from embarrassment or anger, she could not sort out at the moment. Even more irritating, was that the Seven of Spades resembled Reno.

"Oh great, now you got red paint on her!" said the Two of spades pointing at her with his brush.

"Enough! I looked around and didn't see any of you, how is it that you were watching me and didn't say anything?" Aeris was both embarrassed and furious.

"Well, you see, what had happened was..." began the Five.

"We were painting the roses red and we came to this bush..." continued the Seven.

"Yeah, which bush did you come to?" asked the Two.

"Like you're one to talk, Two!" snapped the Seven back at him.

"Y-yeah wasn't you the one who practically dropped the ciggarette in yer mouth, just 'cuz yer jaw dropped." stated the Barrett-like Five.

"I was yawning! You're the ones who creamed your spades at the sight of her!"

"That's it!" said the Seven, dropping his paint brush. He got into a fighting pose. "Put 'em up!"

"Uh guys?" said the Five nervously tapping the Two of spades.

"What is it you big lummox, can't you see we_ real _men are about to fight?"

"The Queen is heading this way!"

"Shit!" cursed the Two and Seven.

The three cards immediately threw themselves flat upon their faces. There was a sound of many footsteps, and Aeris looked round, eager to see whom Sephiroth had appointed Queen in this world.

First came ten soldiers carrying clubs; these were all shaped sort of like the three that were flat on their faces. They were rectangular and flat, with their hands and feet at the corners: next were ten more; only these were ornamented with diamonds. Following them were children, ten of them, hearts. Then she spotted _him.  
_  
_"So this is where you ran off to? Was it that bad, or was I that good?" _

Before Aeris could answer, the Knave of Hearts cut in.

"Oy! Why don't you chicken wusses get out o' the way? Queen's comin' through!"

_"Seifer, make yourself useful. Do your job like a good little boy."_

"Don't get cocky now, bunny boy! I can whup you, ya know!"

_"Would you like to put that to the test, boy?" _glared Sephiroth. The Knave of Hearts, apparently named Seifer, gave a low growl.

"Bloody chicken wuss." mumbled the Knave under his breath.

"Presenting, Lord Kefka and Lady Jenova; the King and Queen of Hearts."

The name Jenova rang a bell in Aeris' head. She'd remember Hojo ranting and raving about Jenova; the planet had deemed her 'The crisis from the sky'. Could it have been the same Jenova?

"Who is this?" Asked the Queen severely. She had said it to the Knave of Hearts, who only smiled and bowed in reply.

She had silver hair, much like Sephiroth's. A big puffy red dress, like the kind you would see worn in fairytales. At the top of her silver hair, sat a tiny platinum colored crown; encrusted in diamonds and rubies.

"Idiot!" said queen Jenova, tossing her head impatiently. She then turned her attention to Aeris and continued.

"What is your name, child?" Jenova began encircling her

"My name's Aeris." she replied, nervously.

"_Aeris?_ That sounds strangely familiar." she then glanced at Sephiroth.

"Isn't that the name of that silly little Cetra, that you are infatuated with; son?"

'Son?' Aeris felt a bit confused.

_"Mother, this is she. I'm not infatuated, it's more than that."  
_  
"What, an obsession?" snapped the queen angrily.

_"No, Mother. I love her."  
_  
This made The King of Hearts, who up until now had remained silent, laugh. It was an eerie laugh, like the ones you would hear in a horror movie.

"Why do you love, knowing that she will die?" King Kefka walked over to Sephiroth

"Why do you build, when you know it will be destroyed?"

_"Kefka that is enough!" _Sephiroth growled.

"Now is that any way to address your King... your God?" replied the King, an evil grin on his face.

Sephiroth grew ire. _'How I wish I could have Masamune in my hand right now. I'd cut off his stupid grin and feed it to the three headed beast in Hell.' _

One of the terms of the compact he had made with the dream king was that he was not to harm any of the creatures in this world, no matter what. The dream king had explained that these were dreamers of different lands and could not allow to have anyone in their sleep die, because of him .

_"Bloody compact." _

"Quit picking on my boy, Kefka. He can't help himself, he is a man after all. I only hope that you satisfied your urges and do away with her at once. You know how much of a danger she is to us."

_"Mother, please. I grow tire of all this. Leave me be. Do not tell me how to feel!" _

Sephiroth had never snapped at his mother like that, but he felt that she had asked for it. He loved Aeris, whether she liked the idea or not.

Then something caught Jenova's eyes.

"WHAT IS THIS?" she shouted.

The three cards from before, quivered from where they lay.

"How should I know, I was minding my own business. Apparently, they were minding it too." Aeris bravely replied.

This made the Queen turn crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild hell-house, screamed.

"Off with her head! Off with ..."

"Nonsense!" said Aeris very loudly and decidedly, the Queen went silent.

King Kefka put his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Pay no mind to her, Jenova dear. She is a foolish child who will have her tongue cut out soon enough." He glanced at Sephiroth, who in turn growled and clenched his gloved fist.

The Queen angrily turned away from him.

"Seifer, turn them over!"

The Knave of Hearts walked over to the three cards laying on the floor.

"Oy! You three chicken wusses, git up now!" he kicked their heads.

The three quickly got to their feet, rubbing their kicked skulls. They began bowing profusely. Kind of like the tourists that come from Wutai to visit Midgar.

"Quit doing that!" screamed the Queen.

"Flattery won't save your hides. What have you been doing here?"

The three cards gulped loudly. They then glanced at each other.

"Well, your Majesty," said Two, in a humbler tone than Aeris had seen. He got on one knee as he spoke.

"We were trying..."

"_I_ see!" said the Queen who had been examining the roses.

"Off with their heads!"

The soldiers with the clubs moved to grab the three to be executed, as the Queen walked away. The Seven, Five, and Two began to run. The guards chased after them. Aeris began to feel sorry for them; even if they were a bunch of peeping Tom's. She ran off to help them escape, passing the running guards.

Aeris caught up to them and found them trying to camoflauge themselves, in order to hide.

"I feel bad for you guys, so quick, get over here." she motioned for them to go to her.

"Our gooses are cooked, Miss. We wouldn't want to get you involved any further." responded the Two.

"Nonsense, now get over here before you end up not being able to enjoy the earlier sights."

Aeris put the three cards in her pocket. Then, the soldiers passed by.

"I think they went this way." said one of them.

"We'd better find them or else it's off with _our_ heads!" said another.

"Who says she has to know?"

Then, they were gone. Aeris took the three cards, out of her pocket.

"That you very much Miss Aeris." said the Five.

"You're welcome, now go, before they see you."

The cards bowed to her and were on their way. Aeris began to walk, when an all too familiar voice spoke.

_"You didn't answer my question, love. Why did you leave?" _

Sephiroth had wrapped his arms around Aeris; appearing from behind her. Aeris turned red. She desired him once more, but couldn't explain why. She was also confused with what the King, Queen, and him were discussing earlier.

"I got scared." Aeris replied, sadly staring at the ground.

_"Why? Did I do something wrong?" _

"No, not exactly, it's just..." Aeris blushed profusely.

_"Aeris," _Sephiroth turned her around. Then, he held her chin up to face him. _"Was this your first time?"  
_  
The tears that welled up in Aeris' eyes, more than confirmed the answer to his question.

"I-I don't know what came over me, I'm not that kind of girl." Aeris said, as tears slid down her cheek.

Sephiroth held her close to his chest, resting his lips on her head. He could feel the pounding of her heart. It raced like a wild animal's, when it knew it was about to be killed.

_"I know." _

Sephiroth felt his own heart, beat like a drum. Sephiroth lifted her face to his own, then gently kissed her on the lips. Aeris felt as if she would melt into his arms. It was like an electrical force, that surged through their bodies. Making them feel like one with each other. But all too quick was the moment, as they were interrupted by an unnerving screech.

"Son! Bring your little tramp and come play croquet!"

_"Please forgive Mother. Sometimes, I think she's the one who is mental." _

"Don't worry, I think I can relate." Aeris said.

Sephiroth grabbed Aeris' hand and walked in the direction of the Queen's croquet-ground.

_"Do you know how to play croquet, Aeris?" _

"I think so."

_"Don't worry, the Queen never loses. It's a law." _Sephiroth chuckled.

"TO YOUR PLACES!" Jenova shouted in a voice of thunder.

People began running around in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they quickly settled down, and the game began.

Aeris remembered what the croquet grounds looked like in the upper plate of Midgar. This was unlike any she's ever seen. It wasn't flat, but, had ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and stand on their hands and feet, to make arches. Kind of like when you bend a card in half, but not completely. She was handed one of the flamingoes.

"I don't see how this is going to work." Aeris muttered to herself.

She looked around for Sephiroth. He had let go of her hand when all the commotion began. There was no sight of him. Aeris sighed.

" I wonder where you ran off to now?" Aeris had said to herself.

Aeris looked at the flamingo. 'This is ridiculous, how the heck am I supposed to use this thing?'

Aeris looked around to see if anyone had a problem with their flamingo. No one did.

'Well how hard can it be?'

Aeris tried to straighten out the flamingo. The flamingo struggled and tried to get away. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and began looking at Aeris. Aeris laughed nervously. She then gave the flamingo an icy stare. The flamingo froze.

Aeris had succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm with its legs hanging down. But generally, just as she had got its neck straightened out, and was about to hit the hedgehog, it would twist around to look up at her face. Aeris got very annoyed and yanked the flamingo back in place. She was going to swing again, when she realized that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away.

"Oh don't you start too!" Aeris angrily mumbled to the hedgehog.

* * *

Meanwhile...

* * *

Sephiroth had walked away when all the commotion about croquet began. He was not up to dealing with a smelly flamingo. He figured Aeris would be alright so he decided to part from her for a moment. He wanted to know why everything continued this far. 

"Lord Shaper of dreams, I summon thee..."

In an instant Sephiroth stood in front of the castle. There, staring down at him, were the wyvern, gryphon, and hippogriff

_"Good day. Is the Lord Shaper in?" _Sephiroth asked them.

"The Lord Shaper is unavailable at this time," answered the wyvern.

_"That's odd. Would you happen to know when he will be back?"_"He expected that you would show up, so he left us with a message for you."

The gryphon nudged a scroll forward. Sephiroth took the scroll and unfurled it. The scroll read:

**My sincerest apologies for not being able to see you at this time.  
A situation that requires my immediate attention has occured.  
When the matter is resolved, I shall go and seek you to  
end the compact. Consider yourself fortunate, were it not for my  
sister, your time would have ended here. Good day to you Sir.  
Lord Morpheus **

_"Thank you." _Sephiroth said to the three.

He was about to walk away, when he heard something from behind him. Sephiroth turned around to see what it was. The Dream king's castle had dissapeared and Sephiroth realized that he was now standing in a very large garden.

_"Where am I?"_ Sephiroth asked himself.

Sephiroth looked at his surroundings. There were many paths that seemed to go on forever, pillars made of stone, bridges over riverless mounds, and seven statues; all looking over twenty feet tall. One of them resembled the Dream Lord.

_"Why was I brought here?"_

Before Sephiroth could say any more, a voice from behind him spoke.

"You are in my garden,"

Sephiroth, startled, instinctively reached for his swordless side.

_'Damn forgot about that.' _

"I have brought you here because I wish to speak with you."

He was dressed in a brown druid-like robe, his eyes were hidden under the hood of the robe. He had a thick chain, that wrapped itself loosely around his body; at the end of the chain was a large brown book. There was also a shackle attatched to his hand at the other end of the chain.

_"And you are?"_

"I am Destiny of the Endless"

Sephiroth was at a loss for words.

"Somehow you have managed to change your fate yet again, Sephiroth."

_"What do you mean?"_

"Before you were born, your mother was to cut you out of her womb herself. You were never meant to be here. I know what there was, what there is, and what's to come. You were not supposed to live."

This caused a puzzled look on Sephiroths face.

"Your life was altered by Dr. Hojo, causing you to resist the poisons your mother took, thinking she would be saving you from a life of suffering. Death before you had a chance to live, that was your fate."  
_  
"You lie...Jenova is my mother."  
_  
"I see things as they are."

Sephiroth was again at a loss for words. But that still didn't explain why he was brought here.

_"How...how can this be?" _

"As the events happen, the conflicting destinies will merge into a whole. As they take place, the conflicting destinies will exist no more."

_"But this doesn't make any sense, why have you brought me here?"_ Sephiroth was getting rather annoyed with the run around.

"Her death will be felt across worlds and days as a storm; and, as it plays its course, conflicting realities will fall and shatter across time and existance."

Destiny paused for a moment.

"All this is destined to happen. Events that never did happen and now never shall, will cast their conclusions and occurrences out into the worlds."

It was in that moment that Sephiroth understood. Destiny was talking about the love Sephiroth felt for Aeris. They were never meant to be, Sephiroth knew that. He didn't care. No one, not even Jenova, could tell him how to feel. Sephiroth was about to ask him another question, but Destiny was gone. There was no footprint to reveal which direction he had went.

_"Great, now how do I get out of here?"_

Sephiroth surveyed his surroundings. He walked towards a path that led to a hedge. He could see that up ahead, was the Queen's croquet-ground.

* * *

Back at Wonderland...

* * *

The players all played at once without waiting for turns, quarrelling all the while, and fighting for the hedgehogs. The Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, screaming at the top of her head. She shouted "Off with his head!" or "Off with her head!" about once every minute. 

Aeris was very annoyed with this game. No one had any rules, it wasn't very fair, and the bloody hedgehog and flamingo were conspiring against her. She hadn't been able to hit it not even once. It was complete and utter anarchy. Which is ironic considering that they had a queen.

Aeris was thinking of an escape plan. She began to look around to make sure no one was watching her. No one was. They were all too busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off; no pun intended. She ran back to where she had first entered. Once she was sure she was out of sight, she let the flamingo go.

"No hard feelings," she told it.

The flamingo gratefully nodded its head and flew away. Aeris began walking through the maze of hedges, only she didn't realize it was a maze until she came to many dead ends.

"Great now I'll never find a way out." she said continuing her way through the maze.

Aeris came across a small fountain in the maze. The fountain looked like a mermaid playing a harp. It was a rather odd, but nonetheless, beautiful statue. The mermaid had a pair of wings sticking out of the sides of her head. The water poured out from under her, making it seem as if she was sitting on top of it.

Aeris saw that it had a stone edge, just perfect for sitting. Aeris was tired from all the running around; she was also very thirsty. She sat down and peered into the water at her reflection. The water looked clean and clear. There was no foul odor emanating from it, so Aeris decided to have a drink. Before she did, she wondered where Sephiroth had wandered off to.

"I hope he comes back soon, he's the only thing that makes sense in this place."

With that, she leaned in to cup a bit of water in her hand, and sipped the refreshing cool water.

* * *

A/N: Finally! This chapter took me forever and a half to write. I had been typing this chapter on and off ; distractions and circumstances are such a pain. Well I hope you all found it to be worth the wait. Let me know what you think. Feel free to email me if you'd like. It's in my profile. Well until next time. Lamica 

p.s. The mermaid statue is actually a statue of Final Fantasy VIII guardian force Siren. Buh-bye.


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